Johnson removes Republican chair of House Intelligence Committee

House Speaker Mike Johnson has removed Republican Rep. Mike Turner as chair of the House Intelligence Committee for the 119th Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has removed Republican Rep. Mike Turner as chair of the House Intelligence Committee for the 119th Congress. While the speaker has the authority to appoint members of the committee, the move marks a significant change among the leadership of a key oversight panel just days before Donald Trump is sworn in as president for the second time. The speaker denied Wednesday that the president-elect urged him to remove Turner as the panel’s chair, telling reporters that they would learn Thursday who he would select as the Ohio Republican’s replacement. “This is not a President Trump decision. This is a House decision, and this is no slight whatsoever to our outgoing chairman. He did a great job,” Johnson said. “The intelligence community and everything related to (the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence), it needs a fresh start. And that’s what this is about. Nothing else.” A source familiar with Johnson’s thinking told CNN that the speaker wanted to bring in his own chairman of the committee, just as then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy did in initially naming Turner to the role. Turner was not told in the meeting that it was Trump’s decision to remove him, the source added. In a statement, Turner said he was “very proud to have served” as chairman.